Shades Of Blue
by After Today
Summary: After 2 years of being in love with her best friend, Angela has come to accept the platonic state of her relationship with Luke. But hidden feelings can spark a fire of drama. Luke/Angela. Rated T for mild language and themes.
1. Just Friends

**((A/N: I am forever in love with the Luke/Angela pairing. He's just can't get a clue, and that's what makes it fun. Though I would never marry him in the actual Wii game. ;]**

**So, yeah. Enjoy. It's not my best work, considering I got…maybe an hour or two of sleep last night, and I'm essentially braindead, but I did my best. This chapter isn't really anything special, but it gets better, I promise. **

**I, sadly, do not own Luke (-sniff-), Angela, or Harvest Moon.))**

"Monogamy is overrated."

The blue-haired boy groaned dramatically and flopped backwards onto the bed, throwing an arm over his forehead.

"I'm sure your girlfriend would _love_ to hear that, Luke." You couldn't help but roll your eyes when engaged in conversation with the young carpenter. I guess that's why I hung out with him; he was good for a laugh.

"Selena wouldn't care," he scoffed. "You should hear the things she says about _me._"

"With good reason," I reminded him. He frowned at me, and I shrugged. "Well, it's true."

"Selena is complicated," he said, peeking out at me from under his arm. "You wouldn't understand the depth and maturity of our relationship."

"Oh, you mean the depth and maturity that doesn't exist. Luke, you're not _capable _of depth and maturity. You're as deep as a swimming pool. The _kiddie _swimming pool." He picked up a pillow and tossed it at my head, which I easily caught and put in my lap.

"That's not the point." He sat up and leaned against the headboard of the bed, propping his feet up on the pillow in my lap. "The point is, Selena's never around. Kathy is."

"You just like Kathy because she can get you free drinks at her daddy's bar." I pushed his feet off of my lap, and folded my knees up to my chest.

"That's not true!" His voice cracked when he got defensive. This instance was no exception. I hid a smile behind my kneecaps and looked at him out of the corner of my eye. "I happen to be attracted to Kathy because she's smart, funny-"

"Her clothes don't cover her midriff," I interjected. It was his turn to roll his eyes.

"She's good-looking, sure," he admitted. "I just don't know why I have to choose between her and Selena. When Selena's at home on Toucan Island, like she is now, I can fool around with Kathy."

I turned my full gaze to him and stared for a moment. "That is, quite possibly, the most sexist, pig-headed, insulting, chauvinistic thing that has _ever _come out of your mouth." I whacked him with the pillow and frowned at him.

But, to be perfectly honest, I wasn't surprised. Luke was my best friend, which is why I tolerated his antics. He could be the most infuriating, immature pig one day, and be incredibly sweet and funny the next. He was the most enthusiastic, friendliest person I had met in my life, and also one of the most frustrating.

I had been in love with him since the day I set foot on Waffle Island.

Of course, he hadn't caught onto that yet. And I certainly wasn't about to tell him. In fact, I was his relationship coach. I advised him on his on-again-off-again romance with the striking dancer, Selena. I enjoyed just hanging out with him like this, talking. I knew his secrets, like how the death of his mother _really _affected him, and how he was terrified that he was going to get hurt, and not be able to be a carpenter, because that was the only thing he was good at.

I can't count the number of times that Luke's fought with his father and run to my door late at night, because he knows he's always welcome at my ranch house. He didn't hesitate to tell me exactly what I was doing wrong, no matter what I was doing.

We were buddies, pals. And, honestly, that was fine with me. Or at least, that was what I had managed to convince myself over the past two and a half years. I had accepted the fact that Luke didn't think of me as anything but a friend.

"I am not a chauvinist!" Luke squawked, breaking me out of my daze. He glared at me, and then, with a playful growl, he tackled me. I screamed as he pinned my arms to the bed, struggling half-heartedly.

"Do you even know what that word means?" I gasped, grinning. He smacked me lightly on the side of the head and allowed me to sit up.

"What do I do, Angela?" he said, throwing his head back. "I'm not good at this... this _girl _stuff. You are! Tell me what to do."

I smiled, and leaned my head on his shoulder. "Follow your heart. It's the only thing you _can _do."

He was silent, before ruining it with, "That was really corny." I laughed, and punched him on the arm.

--

"This is a stupid movie," Luke complained later, throwing a piece of popcorn at the TV screen. He had decided to crash at my house for the night, and had wiggled around the house until I had finally suggested that we watch a movie. So there we were, after 11:00 at night, sitting on the hardwood floor and watching my favorite movie of all time.

I stared at him.

"It's _The Wizard of Oz! _It's a classic!" I put a hand to my heart and pretended to faint away in shock.

"It's still stupid," Luke grumbled. "Scarecrows don't talk."

"It's called fiction, dimwit. It's not real."

"But-"

"Just _watch the stupid movie, _Luke!" I guess he heard the exasperation in my voice, because he shut up and fixed his gaze on the screen. I leaned back against the pile of pillows that we had stacked on the floor and popped a piece of popcorn in my house. Out of habit, I started counting in my head.

_3…2…1…_

"So you agree that it's a stupid movie," he started again. Irritated, I stuffed a pillow against his mouth.

"Shut up, Luke." I could feel him laughing through the pillow, and I shook my head in defeat. Giving up, I rested against the plush stack of cushions. I had watched this movie so many times, I practically knew all the lines by heart. But I had always been a creature of habit, and it was out of the ordinary for me to stay up late, because I had to rise early to start work on the farm. I was asleep before the group reached Emerald City.

What seemed like only a few minutes later, Luke was shaking my shoulder and whispering, "Angela. Angela. Go to bed."

"I'm not asleep," I mumbled, closing my eyes again. "I'm watching the movie." Then, a pair of strong arms wrapped around me and picked my body off of the floor. Too tired to protest, I rested my head against Luke's strong chest as he carried me to my bed. Shifting listlessly as he gently set me down, it didn't take long for me to drift back to sleep. Just before the blackness hit, I heard a voice whisper, "Night, buddy." At that moment, I was glad for the dark. That way, the boy I adored couldn't see me cringe.


	2. Wrong Choices

**Wrong Choices**

**((**_**Italics **_**= Angela's thoughts.))**

"Move, damned animal!" I grunted, thrusting my shoulder against the thick, smooth hide of a very stubborn cow. Aleah lowed lazily, and refused to budge. Instead, she dipped her large head down and nipped at a clump of grass, chewing slowly. Giving up, I threw my hands in the air. "Fine. Do what you want to."

_And I'm talking to a cow. Great._

I wiped a bead of sweat off of my forehead with my arm, and exhaled sharply. It was scorching hot, even for a Summer day, and I could practically feel my skin roasting. I looked to the left at the Caramel River and, for a second, I considered climbing over the fence and running to the water, diving in without hesitation. Of course, I couldn't do that. I had to stay here and try to navigate a thousand-pound beast into the barn, so I could go out and have a social life and not have to worry about my animals collapsing in the heat. To make matters worse, I wasn't really an animal person to start with.

Hey, no one ever said life was easy.

"Hey, Angela." I turned around, surprised that someone was venturing all the way out here. The Caramel River District was a little far away from the rest of Waffle Island, and I was the only resident in the area. The only foot traffic in the area was Toby and Renee passing through on their way to their favorite fishing spot by the waterfall.

"Owen. Hi," I said. My eyebrows shot practically to my hairline. Leaning against a fence post, I looked at him and waited. "Um. What's up?"

"Oh. Yeah. Sorry." It seemed a bit odd to see the mountain of a man blush, but it was kinda sweet at the same time. "Chloe, my cousin, made cookies, and she wanted me to be her delivery boy and hand them out to the town." I finally noticed the basket in his hand; it looked tiny compared to him. He fumbled with it for a minute, and held out a cookie.

"Oh, thanks," I said, genuinely happy. "I love sweets."

"Yeah, it's her first time baking, so…if you hate them and/or get poisoned by them…sorry."

I laughed. "Hey, give her some slack. Maybe she'll turn out to be the next Chase, culinary extraordinaire." I held up the round sweet in a mock, one-sided toast, and then bit in. It tasted nasty—too much salt, not enough sugar. Making a face, I forced myself to swallow, and said, "Then again, maybe cooking isn't for everyone."

Owen chuckled. "Should I risk making the rest of the town miserable, or just toss 'em somewhere and say that everyone loved them?"

"I'd say toss 'em," I said, smiling. "Oh, hey! Maybe the cows would like them. Can I see?" He nodded, and handed me another cookie. I held it by Aleah's mouth, and she sniffed at it before practically inhaling the rock-hard item. That did it; I started giggling. Owen watched with an amused expression on his face, and soon joined in. His quiet laughter was deep and earnest, and the sound alone would've made me beam even if I wasn't all but doubled over with laughter.

After a moment, I calmed down, and stood up straight. "Sorry 'bout that," I apologized, an ear-to-ear grin plastered on my face. "There's not much humor in my job."

"Hey, it's okay," Owen said amicably, holding his hands up. "I know how it is. I spend my days below ground level." He paused for a minute. It looked like he had something else to say, so I waited for a moment.

"Um, Owen, I-" I started, just as he opened his mouth. Laughing again, I motioned for him to go ahead.

"Listen, Angela. There's a Fireworks festival tomorrow, on Cream Beach. And, well…I wondered if you wanted to go with me."

I stared at Owen, shocked. I had completely forgotten about the festival. Though, now that I thought about it, Luke _had _mentioned his angst over who to take along, Kathy or Selena? After that, I had tried to push the event out of my mind. I hadn't expected to be asked by someone else.

Owen must've taken my hesitation to mean rejection, because his normally friendly, smiling face fell. "Hey, you know what, it was just an idea—" he began.

"Wait, no, Owen!" I exclaimed, holding up my hands and cutting him off. "I'd love to." And I really meant it. It was time for me to stop pining after Luke, and to play the field a little bit. Owen was a sweet, attractive, genuinely kind-hearted man.

He grinned widely, and nodded his head, trying to act cool and collected. "Cool!" he said, trying to mask the extent of his excitement, which I thought was adorable. "So, I'll see you tomorrow!" He looked at the basket in his hands like he had forgotten it was there, and then added slyly, "Sorry about the cookies, by the way."

"See you tomorrow," I said, watching as he turned around and walked back to the Ganache Mine District. _For a big guy, he's pretty light on his feet._

---

"Yo, Angie-la," Luke said, coming up behind me and ruffling my hair. I didn't bother to turn around, and instead kept plowing my field. "Need some help?"

"I'm perfectly capable of doing my own farm work, thank you," I said. To prove my point, I struck the ground with the sharp blade of my hoe.

Unfazed, Luke shrugged. "Suit yourself." He walked over to the fence and pulled himself onto the fence railing, kicking his feet against the wood. "I'm hungry. Let's go get something to eat."

"You're always hungry, Luke," I pointed out. "It's not dinnertime yet. Besides, I have work to do."

"I'm a growing boy. I need food. And if you would let me help you, the field would be plowed faster, and we could go get some. Food, I mean."

I stopped plowing the field and gaped at him. Sighing, I said, "I don't have an extra tool." Luke shrugged.

"I've got one."

That was news to me. "What on earth would you need a hoe for?" I asked, bemused. Again, he shrugged.

"I dunno. Dad just keeps one rested against the worktable. I can go grab it real quick, if you promise we'll go get something to eat afterwards."

"You know, you can go to town by yourself, Luke," I said. "You don't need me to hold your hand while you order."

He crossed his eyes and stuck his tongue out at me. "You know I don't like to eat alone. In fact, I don't like to be alone, period. Life is too short to keep to yourself." He had me there; I was learning this more and more every day.

"Fine," I sighed, obviously defeated. "Run fast, chicken-legs." I held my tool up threateningly, and he grinned triumphantly. Not bothering to retort the "chicken-legs" statement, he dashed off. I shook my head, and continued to work.

He was back in an instant, brandishing his hoe. "Very nice," I said, distracted. "Now get to work."

"Sir, yes, sir!" Luke barked. He saluted, and then walked to the opposite side of the field.

I have to admit; his helping out definitely got the job done faster. Soon, the entire field was plowed, and I was thoroughly exhausted. Luke examined the field critically, and then nodded his approval.

"Can we go now?"

"I swear, Luke, you're such a little kid."

---

The only place in town to get a bite to eat was the Sundae Inn. During the day, Colleen sold food out of the check-in counter, behind which a small refrigerator hoarded small portions of simple, yet tasty, food.

"Hello, you two," the petite redhead greeted us in her quiet voice. I always thought she would make a good librarian; she was naturally calm and low-maintenance. I liked her a lot, but it was hard to get close to her. The fact that her daughter, Maya, annoyed the hell out of me didn't help much, either. Colleen handed each of us a menu, and we went to go sit down at our usual table.

Luke examined the menu decisively (like he hadn't memorized it, including prices already), and then declared, "I'm going to get the Omelet Rice."

"Surprise, surprise," I said, grinning at him. That's what he got _every single time _he came here. "I'm gonna have the Vegetable Sandwich." Out of everything the Inn served, that was my favorite dish. The vegetables were perfect: seasoned excellently, cooked thoroughly, and placed on the slices of bread with care. Colleen's mother, Yolanda, and her apprentice, Chase, worked together harmoniously to create mouth-watering dishes. If Chase wasn't such an irksome man, I might consider dating him just so he could cook for me.

Just then, the waitress, Kathy, materialized out of freaking _nowhere _and appeared by our table. "Hi!" She chirped in her irritatingly good-natured voice. "What can I get for y'all?"

"I'll have the Omelet Rice," Luke said. I watched as he sat up straight, raised his eyebrows, and stared at the pretty blonde. Ducking my head down, I tried to fight back the surge of jealousy that threatened to show its ugly face.

"I'll have the Vegetable Sandwich," I mumbled. Kathy nodded and gathered our menus.

"It'll be right out," she smiled brightly before disappearing behind the kitchen. As soon as she was out of hearing range, Luke whistled and lowered his voice.

"Damn, she's hot," he mused, staring into the kitchen and craning his neck, trying to get a view of the blonde. My cheeks visibly heated up, and I nodded fiercely.

"Are you going to ask her to the Fireworks Festival?" I blinked, stupefied that it had come out of _my _mouth. Luke seemed just as surprised.

"Should I?" He asked, looking back at the kitchen, and then back at me. "I mean, Selena's mad at me right now, and probably wouldn't go if I asked her. Would it be okay for me to take Kathy?"

Immediately, I regretted saying anything. "What did you do to make Selena mad?"

"She asked me what I was doing for her birthday this month, and I said that we would probably just go out to dinner, or something," Luke scoffed. "I mean, it's almost twenty days away!"

"Mm-hmm," I said passively.

"So, should I take Kathy? Or do I ask Selena, and hope that she takes it as an apology and agrees to go?" Luke pursed his lips.

"Do whatever you want, Luke," I said, annoyed. "You would, anyways, no matter what I said. Because you only care about yourself."

He blinked. "What the hell? Where did _that _come from?"

I sighed. "Sorry. It's…it's just that, well…you didn't even ask me if I had a date."

This _really _surprised him. "Oh. Goddess, Ang, I'm sorry. That was pretty selfish of me. Who asked you?"

"Owen," I murmured. "He came over this morning and asked if I wanted to go."

"Hey, that's great!" Suppressing a wince, I nodded. I didn't know why I had even brought it up. I guess I had wanted to see if he would be even a little bit jealous. But he truly sounded happy for me. I stared at the table.

"Yeah. I'm excited." I did my best to sound the part, but my tone sounded flat, even to me. It made me feel horrible, because I really did like Owen, and I didn't want to appear closed off or ungrateful. I was flattered that he asked, and I was looking forward to it, but…I couldn't help but wish it were _Luke _who wanted to take me.

Thankfully, just then, Kathy brought the food out. "Here ya go!" she sang, placing our dishes on the table. Immediately, Luke forgot about our conversation and focused in on Kathy.

"Hey, Kath. You want to go to the Fireworks Festival with me?" he asked, completely casual. She beamed, and nodded enthusiastically.

"I'd love to, Luke!"

"Then I'll see you tomorrow at seven?" He worded it like a question, knowing that she would be more likely to agree if he did so.

"Seven sounds great!"

_Yeah. Great. Just great._


End file.
